Rupert Picante wrote:Get rid of badges and the thumbs up and down. This is not a middle school board.

I can live with those, what irritates me is the often overly heavy moderating. Stifles the open exchange of ideas on topics that by their very nature get emotionally charged. We're all adults here, I think we can handle it.

The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind. - Humphrey Bogart

Gr8ful Dude wrote:I can live with those, what irritates me is the often overly heavy moderating. Stifles the open exchange of ideas on topics that by their very nature get emotionally charged. We're all adults here, I think we can handle it.

I disagree completely.

Try reading the comments on a news site (CNN) that isn't moderated as carefully as the Post forums are and see what happens when "adults" are allowed to speak freely.

It is always those with the fewest sensible things to say who make the loudest noise in saying them.--Precious Ramotswe (Alexander McCall Smith)

Rupert Picante wrote:I think thumbs up and down stifle the conversation.The badges are just dumb.

Some people are a lot more hung up on getting thumbs than others. They can be ignored, as well as badges. Agreement or disagreement can be expressed without getting into dialogue, especially when positions have been stated clearly and repeatedly already, what more is there to add. People can't be compelled to debate about every post.I, myself, have made over 4000 posts but have agreed with ten thousand more. I certainly am not going to make 14,000 if I don't have to!

‎"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." ~John Adams

This is the only message board I have seen that still uses thumbs up or down. The popularity contest doesn't bother me, it is the people that are afraid to share their opinion and use the thumbs instead. Take away that voice and then they either have to explain themselves or leave it alone.

I actually like getting thumbs down, because it means I got to the person that gave me the thumbs down. They can express their displeasure at being wrong without saying anything. It is like egging the house of the girl that turned you down for prom, except lazier.

Anyone who starts a thread has no thumbs. Once replying, thumbs appear. That goes for everyone.

If someone would like to dwell and respond childishly to thumbs, there always those sites mentioned in general where participation could be more comfortable. It seems the system here is popular. It is not the only forum with the system.

It would be too bad, I enjoy the postings that aren't complaints about thumbs. As I said, someone should be able to disagree without being compelled to a confrontation! Leave them alone.

This is a perfect example. I have explained and responded, and warrants no more response from me, but my disagreement and my finger!

‎"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." ~John Adams

Dans, first, welcome to the DP forum in your new role. I hope you find it fulfilling and interesting.

Here are my suggestions for a more congenial DP discussion forum:

1) Make character, or personal verbal assaults, grounds for quick removal from participation on your forum. Civility never detracts and always encourages active dialogue on a subject, at least in my opinion.

2) Petty comments about misspelling or typos are safe, since they receive the usual disdain they attract from participants, and serve to inform us of the character of the complainer.

3) Off topic rants should be noted, and if inflammatory and offensive to the average person should be lagged with a "greenie" or like symbol, alerting other readers from actually needing to read further.

4) these new badges are an unnecessary distraction from why we post. This isn't a contest site. if it is, worthwhile prizes must be awarded. I think a new Corvette or Porsche would be nice.

5) Lose the thumbs down feature and keep the thumbs up action, If a comment gets no up thumb activity, they'll know they have written a "dud" or a comment that is not thumb worthy. Besides it might even encourage a more positive environment. At times it seems like a schoolyard here where the little kids are taunting and double dog daring each other. Not too adult is it?

6) Lastly, keep the flag feature, it helps to report the more flagrant racist and generally inappropriate posts from causing too much disruption to one of the better forums on the Internet.

Thanks for reading this minor manifesto Dans, my hope is that it provides some, perhaps minor, helpful food for thought for you.

Opinions are by their nature, mutable, but facts are, by their nature, immutable.

Those who give any weight or substance to an electronic thumbs down, on any WWW forum, given without comment, waste their own time.

Don't care much for the badges; it's too much involvement. Just love to be able to thumb, though; gives a sense of control and power; right after I've thumbed; I beat my chest and let out a Tarzan call like Carol Burnett used to do

garmet wrote:Don't care much for the badges; it's too much involvement. Just love to be able to thumb, though; gives a sense of control and power; right after I've thumbed; I beat my chest and let out a Tarzan call like Carol Burnett used to do

TheSmokinGun wrote:Is everyone filing their ballot challenges to remove Obama from the ballot in 2012. Georgia should be removing him from the ballot within the next week, for not being eligible.

And the Liberal mainstream media isn't covering this stunning development! Nor is anyone else, so thank you Tracy D and thanks for posting that stunning photo of Obama and Farakhan and noting their resemblance to one another. I guess they can't all be like Clarence Thomas - sigh -

Cows get milked, rubes get bilked,And fat cats dine on fools and cream